Box and method of making it



Jan. 7, 1936. e. R. NELSON BOX AND METHOD OF MAKING IT Filed June 7, 1954 boxes than he can under previous methods.

Patented Jan. 7, 1936 UNITED STATES BOX AND METHOD or MAKING rr Gustav Reuben Nelson, De Kalb, Ill., assignor to Wurlitzer Grand Piano Company, De Kalb, 111., a corporation of Illinois Application June 7, 1934, Serial No. 729,435

'1 Claims. (01.144-309) My invention relates to a box or enclosure and to a method of making it. One purpose is the provision of a box which shall be strong, accurate and sightly, which shall be economical and easy to make. Another object is the provision of the method of manufacturing boxes or enclosures which effects a saving in labor and whereby the operator can produce a larger number of Another object is the provision of a method of box or enclosure manufacture which will reduce the wastage of materials to a minimum. Other objects will appear from time to time in, the course of the specification and claims.

I illustrate my invention more or less diagrammatically in the accompanying drawing, where- Figure 1 is a side view of the composite strip of material used in the manufacture of my box;

Figure 2 is a plan view with parts broken away;

Figure 3 is a side View after an initial sawing or separating step has been taken;

Figure 4 is a similar side view after the support for the box bottom has been added;

Figure 5 is a plan view of the strip in the condition in which it is shown in Figure 4;

Figure 6 is a perspective view of the box when it is in position to be glued;

Figure 7 illustrates the box set in any suitable mold or form;

Figure 8 is a perspective view illustrating the box after its removal from the form and when it is ready for the application of a box bottom; and

Figure 9 is a section through a finished box illustrating the bottom in place.

Like parts are indicated by like symbols throughout the specification and drawing.

Referring to the drawing and to the various steps taken in the manufacture of my box, I initially employ a layer of pyrolin or its equivalent, which may if desired be backed with cloth. The layer of pyrolin indicated as I in Figure l and provided'with its cloth backing 2, may be glued to a wood strip or layer 3. These materials may be glued together in large sheets and subjected to any suitable pressure if necessary. The sheets may then be out into strips such as are shown for example in Figures 1 and 2, which strips preferably are of the right length and width to form the four sides of the completed box or closure.

After the strips have been formed of the correct size I may saw out or cutout gaps 4 from the layer of wood 3. These gaps are of suflicient .of the box. It may be formed for example, by

size to permit the pyrolin layer to be bent so that the adjacent wood side members will lie at right angles to each other, if a square box or enclosure is desired. It will be realized that under some circumstances I may find it desirable to apply the 5 wood in separate pieces to the pyrolin and thus avoid the sawing or notching step, but under most conditions it is more economical to apply the wood and pyrolin to each other in large sheets, subsequently to out these sheets into strips of the 10 desired length and width, and thereafter notch or cut the wood out as at 4 in Figure 3. v

I may then apply additional bottom supporting strips 5, which are shown as in Figures 4 and 5. The strip ends are notched or cut back where 15 necessary, as at 6, in order to permit the box sides readily to take a right angle position in relation to each other, with the strips 5 in such case closely abutting in the position, in which they are shown in Figures 6, 7 and 8. The bottom members 5 may be positioned along one side or edge of the wood member 3, or adjacent to it. The later added bottom may be applied either above or below the strips 5. It is shown above as at I in Figure 9 and under some circumstances this may be advantageous, as gravity tends to hold the bottom in place.

When the strip is in thecondition shown in Figure 5 it is ready to be glued. I then apply any suitable glue or cement in the gaps 4 previously formed in the wood layer 3. I then apply glue or cement heating pins 8 to these glued portions and bend the box into the position in which it is shown in Figure 6. The glue members 8 are preferably kept heated, for example in a pot of hot water and are of such size and material as to be able for some time to hold the heat and therefore to keep the glue hot and wet longer than it would otherwise remain so. The members 8 have the further function of serving as forms for permitting a slightly but uniformly rounded corner to be formed by the bending pyrolin. The purpose of this corner formation will later appear. I prefer to have a lap joint in one side course, also glued. When the box has been assembled into the position in which it is shown in Figure 6, and before the glue has hardened, the box as a whole is dropped into any suitable form, frame or clamp ll.

Shims or pressure members members l3. These are pre-cut to have the same length as the length of the strips I, 2 and 3 so that there is no loss of material and no loss of time or labor in trimming them off. The mem-' bers 8 have kept the cement or glue warm enough so that the doweling 13 goes readily into the holes, and the members 8 have also formed the holes and kept them at uniform size, so that the quarter round doweling 63 fits precisely and serves as a permanent form for supporting the rounded corners l4 formed by the pyrolin.

Thereafter, the bottom strips 5 may be glued where the bottom is to be received. The base plate or bottom may then be dropped into the box, and rest on these glue strips, and any suitable clamp or blocking plate can be dropped in and held in place to hold this base plate or bottom in place while the glue sets. As the bottom may be applied in a variety of ways it is not necessary to illustrate any particular clamping means.

It will be realized that whereas I have described and shown a practical and operative device and method, many changes may be made in shape, size, number and disposition of parts and in details and orders of steps without departing from the spirit of my invention. I wish my description and drawing to be taken as in a broad sense suitable materials may be employed. It is preferable that the outside layer I, if not of pyrolin, be of some material more flexible than wood.

,The employment of the cloth backing 2 may be useful but is not always necessary. It should be kept in mind that the effect of the hot glue and also of keeping the glue hot by the hot pins 8 assists in softening the pyrolin for bending' Therefore, it is desirable to use pyrolin or celluloid or some other material which softens somewhat under the application of heat. Then the flexible material bends smoothly and evenly about the pins 8 when the parts are bent in the position in which they are shown in Figure 6 and a neat and accurate corner is provided, with the doweling l3 as a permanent reinforcement and backing. The use of the pins 8 is very helpful as,

when they are not employed, the aperture to receive the doweling is likely to be irregular and the glue is likely to harden. Then, when the dowels are driven in they go in a certain distance and tend to break oil. This has been determined by practical and repeated tests. When they do break off it is then necessary to saw them 011 and drive doweling in from the opposite side. This involves a waste of material, an additional labor factor, and produces a less desirable article. Driving the 'doweling in, without the use of the pins 8, also tends to split the celluloid. A very thin layer of'celluloid is used and in practice the driving in of the doweling without the previous use of the heating and forming members 8 caused frequent splitting of the celluloid or pyrolin.

In actual practice the present process has reterm with sufiicientbreadth to include any type aoaaeoe sulted in two men doing work previously done by five and producing about three and one-half times as much work as was previously produced by a gang of five men. However, that has resulted in an increase of total employment, be- 5 cause it has been possible thereby to compete withimported boxes and to increase sales to a point of actually taking on a substantial amount of new labor.

While the present-method may be applied to a wide variety of boxes and closures it is in prac tice being applied to the bass and treble boxes of accordions.

In the claims where I employ the term boxit-will be understood that I wish to employ the of enclosure or housing, whether or not a top or bottom or both are applied to it.

I claim:

. 1. The method of forming a box which includes fastening togeiher layers of two materials, of different flexibility, the less flexible material being in a thicker layer than the more flexible material, forming said composite layer into strips of the proper size to be bent to form the sides of the 25 future box, cutting away portions of the less flexible and thicker layer at points which define the corners of the future box, forming the ends of the strip to form a joint intermediate two corners of the future box, applying bottom supporting strips 30 to the remaining portions of said thicker layer, while terminating said bottom supporting strips with the ends so disposed as to permit bending the strip into the future box, applying an adhesive to such cut away areas and joint, positioning 5 heated forming pins at such cut away areas, bending the flexible strip at such cut away areas with the said forming members positioned between the adjacent edges of the thicker layer, and thereby forming the strip into a box, positioning the box so formed in a holding member, clamping the said joint intermediate two adjacent corners, withdrawing the heated forming pins and positioning permanent backing members in the spaces previ-, ously occupied by said pins, while the adhesive is still soft, and applying a bottom member to the bottom supporting strips.

2. The method of forming a box which includes fastening together layers of two materials of different flexibility, the less flexible material being. in a thicker layer than the more flexible material, cutting away portions of the less flexible and thicker layer at points which define the comers of the future box, forming the ends of the strip to form a joint intermediate two corners of the future box, applying bottom supporting strips to the remaining portions of said thicker layer, while terminating said bottom supporting strips with the ends so disposed as to permit bending the strip into the future box, applying an adhe- 00 sive to such cut away areas and joint, positioning heated forming pins at such cutaway areas, bending the flexible strip at such cut away areas with the said forming members positioned between the adjacent edges of the thicker layer, and thereby 55 forming the strip into a box, positioning the box so formed in a holding member, clamping the said joint intermediate two adjacent corners, withdrawing the heated forming pins and positioning aoaaeoa ferent flexibility, theless flexible material being in a thicker layer than the more flexible material, cutting away portions of the less flexible and thicker layer at points which deflne the corners of the future box, forming the ends of the strip to form a joint intermediate two comers of the future box, applying an adhesiveto such cut cupied by said pins, while the adhesive is still soft.

4'. The method of forming a box which includes fastening together layers of two materials of different flexibility, the less flexible material being in a thicker layer than the more flexible material, cutting away portions. of the less flexible and thicker layer at points which deflne the corners of the future box; forming the endsof the strip to form a joint intermediate two corners of the future box, applying an adhesive to such cut away diflerent flexibility, the less flexible material being in a thicker layer than the more flexible material, cutting away portions of ,the less flexible and thicker layer at points which. define the corners of the future box, forming the ends of the strip to form a'ioint intermediate two corners of the future box, applying an adhesive to such cut away areas and joint, positioning heated forming pins at such cut away areas, bending the areas and joint, positioning heated forming pins at such cut away areas, bending the flexible strip flexible strip at such cut away areas with the said forming members positioned between the adjacent edges of the thicker layer, and thereby forming the strip into a box, withdrawing the heated forming pins and positioning permanent-'5 backing members in the spaces previously oc- -cupiedby said pins, while the adhesiveisstill soft. I

6. The method of forming a box which includes fastening together layers of two materials of diiferent flexibility, the less flexible material being in a thicker layer than the more flexible material, cutting away portions of the less flexible and thicker layer at points which deflne the cor- ,ners of the future box, forming the ends of the a strip to form a joint intermediate two corners of the future box, applying an adhesive to such cut away areas and joint, positi ning heated forming pins at such cut away areas, bending the flexible strip at such cut away areas with'the said forming members positioned between the adjacent edges of the thicker layer, and thereby forming the strip into a box, withdrawing the heated forming" pins and positioning permanent backing members in the spaces previously occupied by said pins, while the adhesiveis still soft, and applying a bottom memberto the box so formed.

7, The method of forming a box corner which includes joining two adjacent boxsides with a layer of flexible material while spacing the adia- :0 cent edges of the box sidesgsufllciently far from each other to permit them to be bent, with the flexible material, to form a box corner, applying an adhesive tov the face of the flexible material and to the ends of the box sides, positioning a heated forming member in the said'space and adjacent said adhesi bending the flexible ma- .terial and moving the adjacent side members to their desired final position or angle, thereafter withdrawing the heated forming member, and 40 positioning a permanent backing member in the space previously occupiedbysaid heating memher, while the adhesive is-still soft.

GUSTAV REUBEN 

